ROOSEVELT PATTERSON: THE CHAMPION AT THE LAS FLORIDITAS DOOR
Updated May 2026
The short version: Roosevelt “Rosie” Patterson is a Mobile Sports Hall of Famer, a 1992 Alabama national champion, and a former NFL draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders. Today he has one of the most beloved jobs in Mobile: he is the doorman at Las Floriditas, a hidden Cuban speakeasy tucked inside an old bank vault downtown. To get past Rosie, you need the day’s password. And if you take our Old Mobile Evening Food Tour, you’ll meet him yourself.
Some of the best stories in Mobile aren’t in a museum. They’re sitting in a chair in front of a bookshelf, wearing a fedora, waiting to ask you for a password. That’s Roosevelt Patterson, and his journey from the football field to the door of one of Mobile’s coolest hidden bars is one of our favorite stories to tell.
From Prichard to a National Championship
Rosie grew up in Prichard, just outside Mobile, and starred at Vigor High School, where he was part of a national champion team. His talent carried him to the University of Alabama, where he played under the legendary Gene Stallings, a man Patterson still speaks with twice a week and considers a father figure. In 1992, he was a key player on the Alabama Crimson Tide’s national championship team. From there he went pro, drafted in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Raiders. He is a member of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame. By any measure, a championship life.
The Joke That Became a Job
Here’s the part that makes Mobilians smile. Las Floriditas was opened in 2020 by Bob Baumhower, another former NFL player and the man behind the fine-dining restaurant Dauphin’s, which sits 34 floors above the speakeasy in the RSA Trustmark Building. Baumhower used to talk about his dream of opening a Cuban speakeasy down in the building’s old bank vault. When Rosie heard Baumhower would need a doorman once it opened, he jokingly told him to give him a call.
Baumhower didn’t take it as a joke. He called Patterson and told him he wanted him to be the doorkeeper. The two former NFL players have worked together ever since, and Rosie has become one of the most recognizable faces in all of Mobile.
Las Floriditas: Mobile’s Hidden Cuban Speakeasy
If you’ve never been, Las Floriditas is the kind of place you’ll want to tell people about for years. It’s a Cuban-themed speakeasy built inside the former bank vault of the RSA Trustmark Building downtown. The old vault and the original safe deposit boxes are still part of the decor, dim-lit and atmospheric, with son cubano, salsa, and timba playing when there’s no live band.
The whole place is a tribute to Ernest Hemingway, whose favorite Havana bar was called El Floridita. Find your way to the entrance and you’ll see Hemingway himself, hoisting a massive tuna. And you’ll find Rosie in his chair, in his fedora and Cubavera shirt, ready to greet you.
But he won’t let you in unless you know the password.
How to Get Past the Doorman
The password changes daily, and it’s hidden in plain sight: Las Floriditas posts it, in italics, on their social media pages. It usually shows up as a Hemingway quote with one word emphasized. Something like, “I drink to make other people more INTERESTING.” Say the word “interesting” to Rosie, and the bookshelf opens for you, just for that evening.
It’s theater, and it’s wonderful, and it’s exactly the kind of detail that makes a night out in Mobile feel like an adventure instead of just dinner.
What to Order Once You’re Inside
The menu is authentic Cuban. Start with the Ceviche Havana topped with fresh Gulf shrimp, the fried plantain chips, or raw oysters. The Cuban sandwich is as good as you’ll find anywhere on the northern Gulf Coast, and the Hemingway Bowl (barbacoa, black beans, rice, avocado, and lime) is a standout. Save room, because the desserts are some of the best in Mobile: guava flan, the trio of mousse (chocolate Cuban coffee, hibiscus, and Key lime), and a coconut tres leches that’s a signature of the menu.
And of course, you don’t leave a speakeasy without a libation. The Las Floriditas cocktail (white rum, fresh Key lime, maraschino liqueur, turbinado sugar) and the Cuba Libre, served with Mexican Coca-Cola, are the moves. It’s a place that would make Hemingway proud to be found in Mobile.
Meet Rosie Yourself
Las Floriditas is a featured stop on our Old Mobile Evening Food Tour, a 21+ evening of craft cocktails, iconic Mobile dishes, a 34th-floor sunset view of the bay, and yes, a stop at the speakeasy where Rosie greets our guests. We handle the password. You just enjoy the night.
More Than a Doorman
What makes Rosie special isn’t the football resume, impressive as it is. It’s what he does with his platform now. He pours his time into mentoring young people, talking with them about college sports, personal finance, and the value of education, using his own life to guide the next generation of athletes. He’ll also happily tell you his favorite Mobile restaurants (Dauphin’s upstairs is high on the list), and he loves cooking for his mom. The championships were the start. The giving back is the legacy.
Rosie and Las Floriditas have their own chapter in the book. The full story, including the complete Las Floriditas menu, the Hemingway and Cuba connections, and how Mobile’s Cuban culture took root, is told in A Culinary History of Mobile by Chris Andrews (The History Press). If you love stories like this one, the book is full of them.
We first sat down with Roosevelt Patterson for a conversation on our Port City Plate podcast. The show is no longer producing new episodes, but Rosie’s story is too good not to keep telling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Roosevelt Patterson?
Roosevelt “Rosie” Patterson is a Mobile, Alabama native from Prichard, a Mobile Sports Hall of Famer, a 1992 University of Alabama national champion, and a former fifth-round NFL draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders. Today he is the doorman at Las Floriditas, a Cuban speakeasy in downtown Mobile, and one of the city’s most recognizable figures.
What is Las Floriditas in Mobile?
Las Floriditas is a Cuban-themed speakeasy in downtown Mobile, opened in 2020 by Bob Baumhower inside the former bank vault of the RSA Trustmark Building. It is a tribute to Ernest Hemingway and his favorite Havana bar, El Floridita, and serves authentic Cuban food and cocktails in a hidden, dim-lit setting.
How do you get into Las Floriditas?
Las Floriditas requires a daily password to enter. The password is posted in italics on the speakeasy’s social media pages, usually within a Hemingway quote with one word emphasized. You give that word to the doorman, Roosevelt Patterson, and the bookshelf entrance opens for the evening. On the Bienville Bites Old Mobile Evening tour, we handle the password for our guests.
Can I visit Las Floriditas on a Mobile food tour?
Yes. Las Floriditas is a featured stop on the Bienville Bites Old Mobile Evening Food Tour, a 21+ evening tour that includes craft cocktails, iconic Mobile dishes, a 34th-floor sunset view of Mobile Bay, and a visit to the speakeasy where you can meet Roosevelt Patterson.
What should I order at Las Floriditas?
Popular choices include the Ceviche Havana with Gulf shrimp, the Cuban sandwich, and the Hemingway Bowl (barbacoa, black beans, rice, avocado, and lime). For dessert, the guava flan and coconut tres leches are favorites. Signature cocktails include the Las Floriditas cocktail and the Cuba Libre served with Mexican Coca-Cola.
Written by Chris Andrews, founder of Bienville Bites Food Tour and author of A Culinary History of Mobile. Roosevelt Patterson and Las Floriditas are featured in the book’s chapter on Mobile’s Cuban connections.